


Stars Align

by mia9193



Category: Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:54:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28043499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mia9193/pseuds/mia9193
Summary: This work is based on Sam and Cait's journey, from the very beginning, when they first met at their chemistry test. I use direct quotes, but fill in the blanks with what we don't see. I hope this story will continue all the way up until now! Hope you enjoy x
Relationships: Caitriona Balfe/Sam Heughan
Kudos: 44





	1. Chapter 1

CPOV  
Cait was already a basket-case of nerves, but arriving at the studio in LA, 23 minutes late, just made her even more so.  
“Fucking LA traffic…” she uttered to herself, as she quickly scrambled to get her purse and phone in one hand and open the car door with the other.  
‘Fuck…I’m so late. I’ll be lucky if they even still agree to let me do this screen-test! Plus, what a great way to create a first impression…’ she thought to herself, with panicked sarcasm. ‘I don’t think this tartan dress will be enough to make up for it…’  
She arrived at the door of the studio. Before knocking, she closed her eyes, took a long, deep breath, and waited until her heart slowed.  
She put her shaky hand up to the door and knocked three times.  
“Yeah, come in.” was the answer to what sounded like an older man.  
Upon entering, this man stood up and walked towards her, a small smile on his lips. He had shoulder-length, grey hair, and a sensible, serious look about his face.  
“Hello, Caitriona Balfe?” he held out his hand to her.  
“Hi, yes. I’m so sorry I’m late!” she said as she fumbled to get a free hand to shake his.  
“That’s alright. Traffic? You’ll get used to it. Ron Moore, good to meet you.”  
Cait giggled nervously, “nice to meet you.”  
She felt more at ease and could finally breathe a little slower.  
“Alright, well that’s Sam Heughan in there. He’ll be playing the part of Jamie Fraser. You’ll be doing a screen-test with him today. We’re going to see what sort of chemistry you two have together. I’ll let you introduce yourselves if you just want to leave your stuff here and step in,” Ron directed with his arm.  
Cait peered into the screen-test room, through the rectangle, glass cut-out in the door, before entering. The man she saw quickened her previously calm pulse. A man with a strong jawline, finely-toned muscle definition visible in his arms, chestnut-coloured hair, which slightly curled behind each ear. He was fiddling with his watch, bent over in the chair, with his elbows resting on his knees.  
Cait turned the handle, opened the door and took a step. Little did she know there was a slight elevation in the door frame. She tripped quite suddenly, luckily with one hand still holding onto the door handle.  
‘Fuck!’ she thought to herself, squeezing her eyes together, feeling her face flush.  
It happened within a blink of an eye, but as she regained her balance and stood up straight, this man, Sam, was less than five feet away, coming toward her. The size of this man took her by surprise. She herself was tall, 5”9, but this man towered, at least, another half a head over her. Strongly built body, with a kind face.  
“Oh, you alright?” he said, with concern in his English-Scottish accented voice.  
Cait giggled nervously and straightened her dress. “I’m fine, thank you. I’m Caitriona Balfe. I’m sorry I’m so late, I hope I haven’t kept you waiting long,” she said, shakily putting her hand out to him.  
“Oh no don’t worry about it. I was late too, took me long enough to get here. The traffic is insane, twenty-four hours a day. Sam Heughan. Nice to meet you Caitriona,” he said sweetly, with a smile that touched his eyes. He gently shook her hand, his hand warm and large.  
The second thing Cait noticed was this man’s eyes. Such a light shade of blue that stood out against his slightly sun-kissed skin.  
‘His eyes…and so tall…quite handsome…and sweet too.’ Caitriona thought to herself, as she smiled back at him, shaking his hand. This man she had known for ten seconds had already put her at ease.  
“Great dress, very fitting,” Sam giggled, looking from the top to bottom, before turning around.  
“Thank you, I thought it would make a good impression,” Cait smiled, looking down at it also.  
Sam turned around and let out a little laugh and nodded.  
Cait walked over to where Sam was, in line with the camera. She looked at the camera lens and saw Ron talking to a few other members of the crew.  
“How are you feeling? Are you nervous?” Sam asked, turning towards her.  
“A little,” Cait said, slightly biting her lip and peering up at him.  
“Ah, I’m sure you’ll do fine. I’ll try and help you through it,” he said, with a small grin, giving her back a soft pat.  
“Thank you,” she replied, with a small smile.  
******  
The screen test was only seven minutes long; a short but very passionate scene.  
Sam softly pat her on the back again and let his arm fall around her, holding onto her upper arm, enveloping her with his large form. She reciprocated by slipping her arm around his waist; a subtle confirmation that she was comfortable. He then moved his hand from on top of her arm, to underneath her arm, so that he was touching her side. This gave her a pleasurable sort of ache in her stomach and chest. A feeling that shocked her; it was so sudden. It was slightly awkward, having to stand there with the camera still rolling, being put under that pressure to be comfortable. Especially since they had just met and had no time to talk prior. Cait gained enough confidence to slightly and briefly lean her head against his neck.  
His body was very firm and very warm against hers. She could feel the strong lines in his back, waist and arms. She noticed that he had big, armpit sweat patches. It didn’t bother her though, because his smell was intoxicating. She couldn’t figure out whether it was his skin or his clothes.  
“I lost my ring, during that, as well”, Sam giggled, pulling Cait from her fantasy.  
Cait glanced up at him, not being able to hide the fact that her smile fell, then she looked down and furrowed her eyebrows slightly. She tried to play it off as if she didn’t hear him or didn’t understand what he meant.  
‘Ring. His ring. His ring fell off, during our steamy, passionate, and quite physical, chemistry test. Married? Most likely, look at him. Why wouldn’t he be? Well…plenty more fish in the sea. Him telling me that, right after I leant my head against his neck, was obviously his way of saying “okay, too much”. Right, you are going to let this slip right off. It doesn’t bother you, why would it…? You’ve known this man for 5 seconds, dammit.’  
She nervously peered up at him again, and saw that he was no longer smiling, but had a tiny frown; he was questioning her.  
‘Oh fuck!’  
“Oh…oh! Did you?!” Cait forced herself to laugh, looking down behind them, trying to make it believable.  
This seemed to have recovered things. Sam laughed and replied, “yeah it went under the chair!”  
Cait continued to laugh. Then they both fell silent, looking at the camera.  
“Well done,” Sam smiled down at her, giving her another soft pat on the back.  
“Thank you very much,” Cait grinned, blushing slightly. She briefly looked at the floor, embarrassed.  
“I’m sorry for putting you in a bear hug,” Sam giggled nervously, then bit his lip.  
“Oh, that’s absolutely fine. I’m sorry for punching you in the face,” Cait peered up at him, laughing.  
Sam laughed with her, “my fault. No, it was good”.  
“That was pretty terrific…” Ron said, with raised eyebrows.  
“Awesome, thank you very much,” Cait said, with a modest smile touching her lips.  
“You should hear from us within a few days. Thanks for coming out,” Ron nodded, with a smile.  
“Okay, no worries,” Cait replied, breaking away from Sam’s body, instantly feeling the difference, away from his body heat.  
“Well, it was nice to meet you, Sam”, Cait smiled up at him.  
“Yeah it was nice meeting you too, and good luck”, Sam replied, winking at her and smiling.  
Cait quickly looked away, ‘don’t wink at me when you’re married.’  
Then she nodded, “we’ll soon find out if I was good enough”.  
Cait walked towards the door and said, “see you, and thanks”.  
Sam was sitting back down on the chair, putting his watch back on. “Bye see you later”, he smiled sweetly at her.  
“Thanks so much, Ron”, Cait said, picking up her things and smiling.  
“No worries Caitriona. Great work, see you later”, Ron smiled.  
Cait walked towards the studio exit, then briefly looked back at Sam, who was still sitting in the chair. He suddenly looked up and met her eyes, through the glass, and she quickly whipped her head back and went through the door. On the other side of the door, Cait let out a huge breath of air, one that felt like it had been held in for hours. She leant her back against the door and closed her eyes.

SPOV  
Hearing the door open and a slight thud, Sam broke from his daydream. He looked up just in time to see a long-legged, brunette leaning over, mid-fall. He sprung to his feet and walked over to help her. When she regained herself and stood up straight, Sam was able to take her all in, and it startled him.  
‘Flawless, fair skin…she’s tall…the most sparkling blue-grey eyes... Legs for days, too. This woman is beautiful, no denying.’ Sam thought to himself as he swallowed, trying not to stare.  
Sam smiled at her, and shook her hand, trying to be as gentle as he could; she was tall, but also very petite.  
Her hand was cold and clammy. ‘Poor thing is obviously nervous. Such a great smile. It lights up her whole face. Now I’m nervous. An Irish lass, with a Scot dress. It’s a fine dress. Well now comment on the dress! Don’t just look her up and down like that, you’ve just met her! Great first impression…stop biting your lip, she might take it the wrong way!’  
******  
‘My god…she’s got so much talent! If Ron doesn’t pick her, he’s an imbecile. Why the fuck did I put her in a bear hug though…got lost in the scene I guess. I think it pissed her off when I restricted her like that…or was she acting? Shit. She gave me as much as I gave her. She wasn’t afraid to be so physical. She gave this scene her all.’  
Sam briefly touched her back, to give her reassurance, and gently put his arm around her, testing the waters. He felt a boost of confidence after that very physical scene. Perhaps it would be alright to innocently touch her.  
‘Well she’s okay with my arm, otherwise, she wouldn’t have immediately reciprocated. It feels good…she’s moving her thumb…don’t bite your lip. Oh no, I’ve put my sweaty hand on her skin…I hope she doesn’t mind me putting my hand underneath her arm…Wait did she just…did she just move her head into my neck? She did. I guess she’s quite comfortable. Don’t smirk. What…oh no, fucking ginormous sweat patch! Oh god please don’t notice. Need a diversion, quick…I’ll tell her how my ring fell off!’  
******  
‘Hmm, did she not hear me when I told her my ring fell off? Did she find it weird, me telling her that? She looks annoyed…or confused?’  
******  
‘Okay, she obviously just didn’t hear me. This is good, she feels comfortable enough to joke right back with me. She makes me a bit nervous, but at the same time, she’s very easy to talk to. This could be good if Ron picks her…’  
*****  
Sam was getting out of the shower when he saw Ron’s name light up his phone.  
“Hi Ron, how are you?” Sam asked politely.  
“Hey Sam, good. Listen, so we’ve gone with Caitriona for Claire’s part. Now obviously you two are going to be working closely together for a good three years, if all goes well, so I’m going to email through her number and email, in case you’d like to meet up before we begin shooting. You both have perming appointments in London in a few days, all good?” Ron explained.  
Sam’s eyes lit up upon hearing that Ron did indeed pick Caitriona. It’s what he’d been hoping for. He hasn’t been able to stop himself from thinking about her, since the chemistry test, two days ago. It was strange. He was both nervous and excited to see her again. His heart picked up the pace a little.  
“Oh yeah, that’s great! Yes, it’d be nice for us to get to know each other better before we go to Scotland,” Sam replied happily.  
“Yeah. Alright, I’ll send that through. I’ll talk to you soon. Thanks, Sam,” Ron said.  
“Alright Ron, thanks,” Sam replied, then hung up and plugged in his phone.  
Still, with a towel around his waist, he sat on his couch, leant over to his coffee table where his MacBook was sitting and opened his email. The little beep felt like it took forever. As eager as he was to race to his phone and enter her number in, he thought better of it, and took a few things into consideration.  
‘Wait. First, Ron would’ve only just gotten off the phone with her to tell her the news…I don’t want to pounce on her like some needy sod. Secondly, and more importantly, she could be fucking married! Or at least involved…Way to jump the gun there Heughan…I don’t recall any rings…although I didn’t look. Alright. I have a good excuse to spend time with her, should she allow it. It’s important for the show that the characters’ chemistry remains top-notch, even though we seem to already possess that natural chemistry together…Ach! I’ll wait until tomorrow and see what she says. Getting to know each other involves learning about each other’s life. I’m sure a husband, boyfriend, or even a child would be mentioned straight up…’  
Sam let out a loud sigh and cracked his knuckles. “Patience,” he said to himself, as a reminder.

CPOV  
The next day, Cait was busy running around her LA apartment, packing up furniture, for the impending adventure in Scotland, in a couple of short weeks. She would be living in Glasgow for the next 12 months or so, once getting to Scotland. She had to be in London the next day, to get her hair permed, and there she was going to stay, until going to Scotland; in a fully furnished London apartment. She was quite preoccupied with organising her handbag when she heard the muffled sound of her phone ringing. She buried underneath the pile of clothes on her bed and grabbed her phone. The incoming call was a number she didn’t recognise. She was about to hang up, but her instincts told her to answer, and so she did.  
“Hello?” Cait answered.  
“Hi, Caitriona. It’s Sam Heughan. Congratulations on getting the job!” Sam replied shyly.  
It felt like her heart had stopped, jumped up into her throat and got stuck. Then she couldn’t help but grin like an idiot.  
‘Okay, breathe. Don’t sound like an absolute moron!’  
“Oh, hi! Thank you so much. How are you?” Cait managed to say.  
“I’m good, I’m good. How are you?” Sam replied happily.  
“Yeah, I’m fine. Nervous and excited for what’s ahead. I’ve never done anything like this before,” Cait replied, biting her lip and stroking her forehead.  
“An all-new experience for you. Don’t worry, it’ll be good. Erm, anyway, so I just…you know I just…was wondering…erm, since you and I will be working together for a large amount of time, would you like to just spend a day getting to know each other? I think it’ll make, erm, the transition easier, going from total strangers to working closely together every day. If, if you’d like, erm,” Sam suggested nervously.  
Cait moved her face away from the phone. She couldn’t help but giggle at the fact that he was so obviously terrified.  
‘Is this a good idea though? I mean…he’s right, it would be good for work. It would be very hard working so closely with someone I know basically nothing about. Okay.’  
“Yeah, that would be great. Ron told me you’re also going to get your hair destroyed tomorrow in London,” Cait giggled.  
Sam laughed softly, “yes, unfortunately, has to be done. That’s why I thought tomorrow would be a good opportunity.”  
“Yeah, definitely. We would have the same flight too?” Cait asked.  
“Erm… 11:20 am?” Sam asked.  
“Yep, that’s mine. Alright, well I’ll see you at the airport in the morning, say 10:30?” Cait said.  
“Yeah, I’ll see you then! It’ll be good. Okay, see you later Caitriona!” Sam said happily.  
“Bye Sam,” Cait replied. Then she hung up and exhaled slowly.


	2. Chapter 2

SPOV  
Sam, waiting at LAX, paced nervously back and forth. His palms were sweating, everything was sweating. He tried to steady his breathing. He put his bags on the ground, intertwined his fingers and put both hands on the back of his neck, looking at the ground, still pacing back and forth. Occasionally, he would look toward the entrance. He checked his watch, it was 10:26 am. Sam made a quiet sort of grunt, as he exhaled.  
‘Get a fucking grip! She could be a married woman! You’re a moron.’  
Sam’s phone suddenly got a Twitter notification, which distracted him. After he checked Twitter, he put his phone in his back pocket, then turned back toward the entrance. There she was. Walking towards him, in a flowy, high-neck grey dress, which showed off her long legs nicely, a black jacket over top, hair down and being held back by sunglasses on her head. Cait being twenty feet away from him, he took advantage of looking her all the way up and down, without being busted. He could feel his jaw slowly drop lower and lower. When he felt it get too low, he composed himself and swallowed, and cleared his throat.  
‘Oh god…how did I forget that she’s that damn attractive. She looks…phenomenal…amazing. She’s just…she’s beautiful. Don’t make an ass of yourself!’  
Sam smiled crookedly at her when she was close enough to see. Cait shyly smiled back and gave a little wave.  
“Hello,” Cait said.  
“Good morning! Wow, you look very nice,” Sam grinned at her.  
Cait gave him a shy smile, “thank you,” and looked at her brown strappy sandals.  
“So, we’ve got a bit of a wait, do you want to go sit over there?” Sam asked, pointing at a couch near a big window, where sun was streaming in.  
“Sure, over there,” Cait nodded.   
She waited for him to pick his two bags back up; she was holding her three bags.  
“Here, let me help you,” Sam said, as he took Cait’s medium-sized bag out of her hand.  
“Oh, you’ve already got two big bags though,” Cait insisted.  
“Och, it’s fine,” Sam shrugged one shoulder.  
Cait watched Sam as he walked a little ahead of her. She couldn’t help but smirk to herself.   
Sam set the four bags down on the ground, next to the couch where they had chosen to sit. Then he gently took the strap of Cait’s biggest bag off her shoulder and put it on the ground.   
“Thank you,” Cait smiled at him.  
‘There’s that great smile. Those eyes! They’re positively hypnotising. Oh, let’s have a look at that hand, how could I forget!’  
“That’s alright,” Sam smiled back and extended his arm to the spot on the couch next to him.  
Cait sat down on the couch and leant into the corner, crossed her legs, and angled them towards Sam. Sam tried not to look at her legs and tried to conceal his hard swallow. Instead, he distracted himself by removing his phone from his back pocket and put it on the arm on the couch. Cait put her hands in her lap, which became slightly covered by her dress.  
‘Hmm well there’s no way I can try and see her hand now, without looking like I’m trying to see up her dress, or just perving on her legs. Her very nice…long…legs. Don’t look at them! Keep your eyes on hers. Fuck I need a coffee…Hmm…’  
“You know what, stay here, I’ll be right back,” Sam nodded at her, and he was off the couch before she could ask why.  
“Oh…” Cait furrowed her eyebrows, and turned her head to the side, still looking forward, watching him powerwalk away.  
Ten minutes later, Sam came back with two good-sized coffees. Cait’s eyes lit up. He sat down and held one out to her.   
“I needed one, and hopefully you do too,” he giggled, a little nervously.  
Cait let out a little laugh, “aw, that’s very kind of you. I was actually needing one.”  
“It’s just black. I wasn’t sure what you liked,” Sam said, biting his lip.  
“Perfect,” Cait nodded and smiled, “I don’t take it any other way.”  
“Me too, me too. Ah, that was lucky,” Sam gave her a small, crooked smile.   
They both took a sip of their coffee, not taking their eyes off one another. Sam quickly glanced at her hand.  
‘Right hand, damn. Good call on the coffee though. No almond milk crap.’  
“So, Caitriona Balfe, tell me about yourself,” Sam said, sitting back, taking another sip of coffee.   
*****  
‘So, she’s made absolutely no mention of any husband, boyfriend, or kids. But…we just met, maybe she wants to wait before talking about her personal life with a total stranger. Although she did mention her “fur child”, Eddie. That would’ve been a good opportunity to mention a human child…or a husband…or a boyfriend…’  
“I’ll show you a photo of Eddie,” Cait said.  
She leant down to get her phone out of her bag, then her right hand lost her grip on her coffee. Sam just spotted it starting to wobble in her hand, before it fully slipped from her hand. It happened very quickly, but Sam half caught it, still half in Cait’s hand; coffee spilling down their hands.   
Cait gasped, “shit! Oh!” she said with a pained look on her face.  
Her coffee was half full, and a good amount was spilt.  
“You alright? Got it?” Sam asked, not letting go, and quickly putting his coffee on the ground.  
His middle finger was slightly entwined with her middle and pointer fingers. He held the bottom of the cup with his other hand, at the same time she supported the middle of the cup with her left hand. Sam took no time in looking at her hand, pretending to focus on freeing his hands from her cup.  
‘Ah HA, no ring! That is if she hasn’t taken it off, but why would she? Perhaps this rules-out marriage…but boyfriend, and maybe a child…no clearance there yet. Oh, for fuck sake. So what if she’s completely single. Bad BAD idea to get involved with someone you work with. Stop being a tosser! Let it go!’  
“Ah…” Cait said, biting her lip in pain, “yeah, thank you. Burnt my hand a bit, how’s your hand?”  
Cait leant over and put her coffee on the ground.  
“It’s fine, don’t worry. I’ll go get some serviettes,” Sam said, slightly shaking some coffee off his hand, towards the ground.  
“Oh no it’s alright, I’ve got some baby wipes in here,” Cait reassured, leaning over again and rummaging through her handbag.  
She got her phone and rested it in her lap, then pulled out a small packet of baby wipes.  
Sam felt like his heart skip a few beats, then plunged down into this stomach.  
‘Don’t make assumptions…she herself has made no mention of a child…’  
“They’re so handy, especially in clumsy instances like this. If you’re going to be working with me for a while, that’s one thing to keep in mind,” Cait giggled, then looked down as she wiped her hands.  
This brought Sam out of his panicked speculations, and he couldn’t help but smile, every time he heard her giggle.  
“You’re a clumsy one?” Sam asked, taking the baby wipe Cait held out to him.  
“I tend to fall over my big feet a lot, and spill things, yes,” Cait said with a nod and an embarrassed smile.  
Sam let out a small laugh, “how did you manage the runway in heels?”  
“With great difficulty. They made me practice for hours, and eventually, I just got used to them. Then I began to trip over in my regular shoes though. I forgot how to walk in flat shoes,” Cait giggled again, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.   
‘Adorable creature.’  
Then an announcement suddenly caught their attention; their flight to London was now boarding. 

CPOV  
Cait had gotten absolutely no sleep. She woke up feeling exhausted and nauseated. She could feel her heartbeat in her ears, and her palms were sweaty. Her hands shook every now and then, while she was applying her makeup; doing everything she could to cover her puffy eyebags and dark circles.   
Cait then sighed harshly and threw down her concealer brush, “fuck it. That’s as good as it’s going to get.”  
She swivelled around in her vanity chair and leant down, putting her head between her legs, entwining her fingers and squeezing.  
‘Fucking idiot, Caitriona! Making yourself physically sick over a man who could very well be unavailable and may not even fucking like you! Relax. Get your act together, and stop being an idiot. Never show a man how vulnerable you are.’  
She got up and took a deep breath. She looked at herself in the mirror, took another deep breath in, and let it out slowly through her mouth, watching her chest fall.   
“Alright,” she said to herself in the mirror and got up to get ready to leave.  
The cab ride to the airport was about 17 minutes. Being in the car was giving her motion sickness, but she tried not to focus on it. A couple of times she truly felt like she was going to be sick.  
‘Caitriona, stop. Stop this. Do you want to vomit in front of him? I think not!’  
Cait laid her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. It seemed to help.  
*****  
“Ah…excuse me miss? Miss…MISS?”  
Cait weakly opened her eyes and saw the cab driver looking behind at her, from the driver’s seat.  
“We’ve arrived at the airport, miss,” the cab driver informed her.  
“Oh…I’m sorry,” Cait pulled herself up straighter and got out money to give to the driver.  
Cait pulled herself from the cab and steadied herself as a head spin came on. She thanked the cab driver as he handed her each piece of her luggage. She walked slowly towards the entrance of the airport.  
‘Oh god…I thought I had only closed my eyes for a few minutes…how embarrassing.’  
She slid her finger underneath her sunglasses, to adjust an eyelash. She looked at the tip of her finger and saw little black lines from her mascara. She stopped as she came beside a parked car. She quickly took off her sunglasses and put them on her head, to tame her hair in the inconvenient wind, and checked her face.  
She took a deep breath to try, once again, to calm her nerves, “here we go.”  
She stumbled slightly, as one of her bags knocked the door on her way in. She put her head down, nervously. Upon entering, she spotted him straight away, amongst the sea of about 50 people in this same area. It was as if her eyes were a magnet, attracted to him. Although it wasn’t hard to spot him, as he towered above most people. The colour of his dyed red hair also stood out. He was pacing back and forth with his head down, looking rather nervous and jittery himself. He was wearing a black shirt and slim, dark blue denim jeans; not too slim, but enough to hug his backside. The sleeves on his shirt showed off his toned biceps nicely.   
Cait moaned internally, as her eyes found his firm-looking ass, which was quite visible in those jeans. ‘Oh…fuck. That’s not fair!’  
Cait slowed her pace, as she was walking towards him, not wanting to seem too eager. Sam took his phone out of his back pocket and put it back within ten seconds or so. Then he turned around and met her gaze and his eyes lit up. He smiled at her. That same smile he gave her just a few days before when she first met him.  
‘Just breathe. Just breath. Just breathe. Just breathe. Just breathe!’  
Cait smiled back, hoping it disguised her nervousness, and waved. Her legs were feeling weaker by the minute.  
‘He looks so nervous…why, I wonder…Oh, where’s his ring…left hand is in his pocket. Great.’  
*****  
‘Thank god we’re going to sit down, I feel like I’m about to collapse. I really need a coffee…Oh…sweet of him to take my bag. Shit, can he tell I’m about to collapse? He must know I’m tired, which means I must indeed look like complete shit, after all. I could manage my bags myself…oh stop lying, my legs can hardly carry my own body at this point, let alone three pieces of luggage as well…don’t walk in front of me, Sam! I don’t want to look at your painfully nice ass, you could be a married man! I’m lusting after a man who could be married! Ugh!’  
*****  
'Uh, what? Where the fuck is he going?! Do I go after him? Of course not, he’ll think I’m psycho. Relax. He said he’ll be back. He probably just went to the toilet.’  
Cait got her phone out to distract herself, her foot shaking uncontrollably; something that seemed to happen when she was lacking sleep. She then caught sight of him our of the corner of her eye.   
‘Coffee! Oh dammit, how sweet. Shit…can he read minds…? Don’t be so stupid, Caitriona.’  
“Oh! Thank you!” Cait said smiling brightly, gently taking the cup off him. Taking the cup from his LEFT hand, and seeing NO ring.  
‘Huh…alright no ring…he could have a girlfriend…or a child. Oh, you’re a fucking idiot! You’re not going to get involved with a man you’re going to be working with! Snap out of it!’  
Cait quickly looked down, as Sam sat at the opposite end of the small couch. He grinned back at her.  
“How did you know I take my coffee black?” Caitriona smiled.  
“Just a very lucky guess. It’s how I take mine,” Sam smiled crookedly and took a sip of his coffee, not breaking his glance.  
Cait giggled and took a sip of her coffee. They began to talk about each other’s lives, beginning with childhood, high school and early careers.  
“I can’t believe you played Batman! Did you have that belt with a million gadgets?” Caitriona asked, biting her lip.  
“Yeah! It was pretty cool. Being on wires and flung through the air was quite fun too. It was a good experience,” Sam nodded, giving a small and slightly embarrassed smile.   
Cait reciprocated with a small giggle. “Definitely more acting experience than I’ve ever had.”  
“Well being a Victoria’s Secret model, that’s definitely impressive,” Sam gave a small smirk.  
Cait smirked back, embarrassed. “Many many moons ago now. I learnt a lot about myself though. But it would never be able to make me happy long-term. I do miss travelling to so many countries, and the friends I made, but that’s it. I don’t miss anything else.”  
Sam nodded and looked into her eyes while she was talking. At least he tried to. Cait tended to look away a lot while talking.   
‘Seems like he’s really interested in what I have to say…his glance doesn’t even break. I can’t look him dead in those bright blue eyes, he’ll notice me stupidly blushing.’  
“Do you think you’re this confident because of those years as a model?” Sam inquired.  
“Confident?” Cait raised her eyebrows.  
“Well, in that scene you had amazing confidence. Especially with having to be so close to some guy you just met,” Sam gave a half-smile and bit his lip.  
Cait looked down and chuckled. “I guess I am very confident when I’m playing someone else. Besides, Claire seems like the ultimate confident woman. Does not take one shit from anyone.”  
Sam chuckled back. “Yeah! She seems like a really great character to play. Are you excited about playing her?”  
“I am, actually. I really admire her. I hope I can do her justice,” Cait bit one side of her mouth.  
“Well, according to Ron, you’re the perfect Claire,” Sam smiled cheekily and took another sip.  
Cait giggled and looked down at her phone. A notification lit up her phone and seeing Eddie’s photo as her wallpaper reminded her to show him, to ease her bashful idiocy.   
“Here’s my little baby, by the way,” Cait grinned and held her phone up to Sam’s face.  
Just then her coffee, that was balancing in one hand, started to wobble. The split second it was going to fall, Sam’s big hand caught the cup and steadied it. Although the jolt made quite a bit of coffee spill and run down both of their hands.  
Cait hissed, feeling the burning liquid pierce her hand. “Shit! Oh, thank you,” Cait managed, through a pained expression.  
“That’s alright, are you okay?” Sam said with concern.  
“Yeah yeah, just burnt my hand a little bit,” Cait said as she quickly dropped her phone and took the cup with both hands, coffee dripping off the bottom, onto the tiles.  
“Uh, I have some baby wipes in my bag,” Cait said as she was about to put her coffee on the ground.  
Before she had a chance to, Sam quickly put his coffee on the ground and shook off the coffee that was on his other.   
“Oh, here,” Sam said as he took the cup off her, holding it out in front of him.  
“Oh, thank you,” Cait said, retrieving the wipes from her bag. “Sorry, did I get any on you?” Cait said looking at his crotch.  
‘Stop!’  
“Nah, only the couch,” Sam giggled.  
“Oops,” Cait smiled, embarrassed.  
“It’s alright,” Sam gave a reassuring smile.   
Cait wiped her hands, took out a wipe for him, and swapped it with her coffee cup, and also gave that a wipe down, as well as the wet spot on the couch.   
“Thanks. Very handy, these,” Sam said wiping his hands.  
“Very. I rely on them as I’m quite clumsy,” Cait gave a shy smile.  
Sam giggled. “You can walk in giant heels just fine.”  
“I mean with liquid,” Cait smiled, biting her lip.  
“Oh,” Sam laughed, biting his lip as he took the dirty wipes off her and walked over to the bin.  
“Anyways, HERE is Eddie,” Caitriona laughed, once again showing her phone to Sam.  
“Awww! So cute. Who’s going to look after her?” Sam asked.  
“She’s going to go live at my friend’s place. It’s just easier. I’m really going to miss her. The first break we have from filming, I’m going to fly her over to Scotland,” Cait said, smiling at the photo on her phone.   
“She’ll miss her mum,” Sam sat back and gave a small smile.  
Cait gave a slightly pouty look, complete with the bottom lip, as she looked down at the photo.  
“My ride or die…” Caitriona said.  
Just then their attention was caught by the announcement of their flight now boarding.   
Caitriona put her phone into her bag and moved forward, preparing to stand up. Her legs felt very fatigued, the coffee hadn’t kicked in yet. She stood using all her strength, working through the strong aches that shot up from her ankles. She put her handbag on her shoulder and picked up two of her luggage bags. Before she could pick up the third, it was swiped away by Sam’s strong arm. He smiled at her. “Let’s go,” he said.  
“Are you sure?” Caitriona tilted her head, bearing a guilty look on her face.   
“Yeah,” Sam said, displaying that toothy smile.  
Caitriona and Sam stood in line at the gate. Caitriona got her passport and ticket out from her handbag. She glanced down at her ticket, to check her seat number.  
“12A,” Caitriona read.  
Sam quickly put the luggage down and slipped his ticket out of his back pocket. It was a little wrinkled from where he had been sitting on it.  
“…9C,” Sam read, furrowing his eyebrows.  
“Oh…we aren’t sitting together?” Cait asked, looking at his ticket.  
“Yeah, I guess not. I guess Ron couldn’t get us seats in the same row…” Sam said, slightly discouraged.  
“Mmm…” Caitriona nodded.   
She could hear and see his slight disappointment, and to be honest, she too felt that. However, she breathed a small sigh of relief, knowing she would be able to sleep without feeling self-conscious. The last thing she wanted was to wake up and have her head pinned to his shoulder, complete with a line of drool on his shirt. She winced to herself just imagining that.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No longer doing separate points of view. Instead, points of view will be joined...if that makes sense! x

Sam and Caitriona made their way to the gate, after dropping off their luggage. All they were left carrying was their over-the-shoulder carry-ons. They had to follow a long passage that leads them down to the bottom of the airport, where they found themselves outside. They both walked towards the plane with the rest of the crowd. Caitriona glanced over at Sam and saw his bulging arm muscles that made her feel like she was going to blush and fall ass-over-tit at the same time.   
‘Stop.staring.at.him!’  
Cait quickly looked away before he noticed. Upon reaching the bottom of the very long and steep staircase to the plane, Sam looked back at Caitriona and smiled, giving a brief tilt of his head to let her know he was letting her go first. Caitriona hesitated. She was nervous about flashing him in this wind, being in a dress, and also her legs giving out and collapsing right on top of him.  
‘Well...if it’s not him that sees my purple G-string, it may be someone much less desirable and respectful…’  
Cait quickly looked behind her and made eye contact with a very short, stout man of around 60. He winked at her and gave a smile that showed almost all 32 of his brown-stained teeth. Cait’s eyes widened in slight horror as she quickly looked away, removed her sunglasses from her head and put them on. She then noticed Sam inspecting the strange specimen.   
‘Mhmm…MUCH less desirable, and seemingly NOT respectful!’  
With that, she gave Sam a quick but thankful smile and hurried to the first step. She kept her eyes on her feet, concentrating very hard on not tripping or collapsing. As she was not watching what was in front of her, the top of her head bumped into the middle of a woman’s back. This woman with smoker lines on her upper lip and an unflattering orange-based foundation immediately turned around and scowled down at Cait. At the same time, Cait flinched and jolted backwards, apologising. The woman slowly turned back without a change in her demeanour or an acknowledgement of her apology.   
As soon as Cait jolted backwards, she realised that Sam was a lot closer than she anticipated. Only one step down from her, due to the long line of people waiting behind. Being so tall, they were now at the same height. Cait gasped and stiffened as she felt Sam’s solid chest and warmth seeping through her clothes to her bareback. She turned her head slightly, and a waft of his intoxicating smell smacked her right in the nostrils. She allowed it to thrill her body with goosebumps for half a second.  
“I’m sorry,” Cait said in a half-whisper.  
Sam giggled, and the feeling of his hot, coffee-mint smelling breath tickled the inside of Cait’s ear, intensifying the goosebumps down her legs, causing a satisfying chill from her shoulders to her thighs, and quickening her heartbeat. Cait made a conscious effort to not quiver, as she knew if she did, he would feel it.  
“Are you alright?” Sam asked.  
Cait took a quiet, deep breath, as she rode another wave of fire and chills.  
“Yeah yeah, fine,” Cait replied a little too breathlessly.   
‘Fuck…fuck shit fuck! No, stop. Calm down. Just breathe. Him being so close means my dress has no opportunity to blow up and flash anyone, at least…shit I hope my breath isn’t bad!’  
The line continued to move slowly. Not even the chill of the harsh wind could alleviate the blush of Caitriona’s cheeks, or the burning sensation in between her shoulder blades, where she felt Sam’s chest rise and fall with his steady breathing. She continued to feel his breath on the back of her neck, through her hair. She bit her lip and continued to concentrate on breathing.   
‘I hope my hair smells good…’  
Cait and Sam finally reached the inside of the plane that looked a lot bigger than what it actually was on the inside. Cait moved slowly down the aisle, feeling Sam still close behind her. Cait glanced up at the seat numbers as she moved carefully. Suddenly, again as she was not watching what was in front of her, a tall, built man shot up and moved sideways out of his seat far too quickly. He had realised he was sitting in the wrong seat, and took the opportunity to quickly move, as there was no one in front of Cait. Not realising that Cait was half a step behind him, this man bulldozed sideways into her, knocking her into the side of a seat on the left. Her sunglasses were flung into one of the windows, and her carry-on, being wrapped around her petite figure, contributed to making her fall faster. Before she completely fell on her face onto the floor between the seats, she felt Sam’s hand encircle her upper arm and strongly pull her to him, which spun her around and she slammed into him, face to face. The man ran over and apologised approximately 35 times.   
“Ah shit, I’m so sorry I didn’t see you, ma’am! I really am sorry! I’m sorry! Are you hurt?!” the heavily built man exclaimed, with a vein bulging out of his forehead.   
After a moment of silence, as Cait was in a state where she couldn’t hear anything but her heartbeat in her ears, Sam stepped in.  
“I think she’s okay, but you have to be more careful, man! Coming out of your seat like that without looking behind you, you could’ve seriously hurt her! Watch where you’re going,” Sam replied in a firm tone.  
This man was tall, but Sam still had half a head on him. Cait felt every muscle of Sam’s torso flex as he bit out each word. Sam’s right hand was still gently holding her left upper arm, and his left hand rested in the middle of her back. Their bodies were pinned together so close, that Cait could feel Sam’s heartbeat speed up out of agitation. She could do nothing but keep her eyes closed and try to gain control of her breathing so her heart would slow. After a minute, she felt Sam’s breath hit the top of her forehead. She immediately opened her eyes, took a deep breath and carefully tilted her head upwards to meet his eyes. After a split second, she looked back down and took a step backwards.  
“I’m sorry, did I hurt your arm when I grabbed you? Are you alright?” Sam asked gently, with deep concern in his eyes.  
Cait regained the courage to look into those eyes again, knowing how red with embarrassment she was. She quickly brushed her hair out of her eyes, adjusted the strap of her bag, and gave a shy smile.  
“No no, I’m alright. If you hadn’t grabbed me, I would’ve fallen straight onto my face. You have very quick reflexes, don’t you?” Cait let out a small, nervous laugh.   
Sam looked down briefly and smiled. “I don’t know, maybe. Are you sure you’re alright? Did he hurt your shoulder?” Sam asked, glancing up and down at her figure before his eyes rested on her shoulder.   
Cait shrugged one shoulder slightly and shook her head, “no, I’m okay. Thank you, Sam, again. I feel like I’ve thanked you so many times today already.”  
Sam smiled sweetly at her, “well it’s my pleasure, Caitriona Balfe. I can’t have the leading lady get injured before even entering Scotland.”  
Cait bit her lip and smiled at him in a rather flirtatious way.   
‘Now he’s teasing me. Or flirting…is he flirting with me?’  
Sam glanced up at a seat number on the left-hand side of the plane, which snapped Caitriona out of her silly thoughts. She carefully turned around and likewise glanced at the seat numbers, up on the right-hand side of the plane. She spotted her seat number and quickly looked back at Sam, who had also found his. Cait was two rows ahead of Sam, on the other side of the plane. Sam smiled at her and gave her a nod.  
“Are you alright getting your bag up there?” Sam asked, motioning to the bag compartment above.  
“Uh, yeah I’ll be alright, thank you,” Caitriona replied, giving him a quick smile and eyeing the compartment above her.  
‘Alright, Caitriona, come on! He’s done enough for you today. You don’t want him thinking you’re completely useless and reliant on him!’  
Cait pulled the strap of her bag off over her head, rested the bag on the arm of her seat, bent down and picked it up with both hands. She used all of her strength, that she didn’t have a lot of, to quickly push her bag up into the compartment in one smooth motion. She let out a satisfied breath and smiled to herself. She didn’t dare look back at him, as she could already feel his eyes on her. She then sat down and let the seat fully absorb her, as she leant back and closed her eyes, finally feeling some relaxation. She was already seconds away from falling asleep when she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. Being not fully conscious, it startled her more than it should’ve, and she let out a small gasp.   
“Oh, sorry!” she heard Sam’s smooth voice.  
She looked to her side and up. Sam was there, holding her sunglasses out to her.   
“Luckily they didn’t break,” Sam raised his eyebrows, then gave her a half-smile as he handed them to her.  
“Oh, thank you! I completely forgot about them. It all happened so fast,” Cait gently took her glasses and put them on her lap, looking down.  
“Yeah, glad you’re alright. I’ll see you when we land,” Sam smiled, and gently touched her shoulder.  
Cait quickly looked back up at him and smiled back, “yeah.”  
Cait slipped her sunglasses back on and sunk into the chair, quickly falling into a much-needed deep sleep. Not even the rumbling sounds of the flight, the occasional turbulence, take-off, or the bumpy landing stirred Caitriona from this sleep.   
Caitriona finally did awake by the prodding of a little boy of about 3 years old. He was poking her cheek, then switched to poking and prodding her shoulder. Cait’s eyes fluttered open gently, and she sat up straighter in her seat. She winced as her eyes adjusted to the light, as she removed her sunglasses.   
‘Are we here already? Did I just sleep for 10 hours…?’  
She then looked to her right, where she saw the little boy and his mother, staring and waiting to get past. The little boy had a cheeky grin on his face and poked his tongue out briefly.   
“Oh, I’m sorry!” Cait exclaimed, quite embarrassed, and shot up out of her seat far too quickly, like the very man that knocked her almost entirely out of the plane window.   
Cait felt the immediate head rush of standing up too fast, and she felt her knees beginning to buckle. She held on to the top of the seat in front of hers, as she waited for the woman and boy to grab their bags and walk down the aisle. She then held on the rack of the baggage compartment above, hung her head forward and took some deep breaths. After about 5 minutes, Caitriona noticed the silence. She looked up and around and noticed that she and Sam were now the only two left on the plane, besides the stewardess waiting at the back. When she caught Sam’s eye, who was also about to get his bag down, he smiled brightly at her and she reciprocated.  
She was starting to quickly feel better; the deep sleep and the strong coffee had done the job. Although, she was absolutely starving, having missed the meal option on the plane.   
“Did you sleep well?” Sam asked, smirking. He walked up to her with his bag over his shoulder.   
Cait was tugging her bag forward as she was preparing to lift it out of the compartment, then turned her head to look at him.  
“How did you know I was asleep?” Cait asked.  
“Well, I happened to notice that the entire flight, you didn’t move. Then when the stewardess came around to deliver meals, she had to take yours back each time, because she couldn’t wake you. You didn’t stir or anything. Then she checked your wrist for a pulse!” Sam laughed.  
“Oh my gosh!” Cait covered her eyes and laughed.  
“You’re a deep sleeper, then? Even after that coffee?” Sam asked, with a smile tugging at his lips.  
“I was just very tired…uh…I’m still adjusting to my new apartment noise…and a new bed,” Cait replied, looking down, then continued to pull at her bag.  
Sam reached up with one hand, lifted the bag by its smaller straps and placed the large strap across her body, resting it on her shoulder.  
“Thank you, Sam,” Cait gave a shy smile, looked down and adjusted the strap on her shoulder.  
Sam smiled down at her. “So, after we find our hotel and drop our bags, would you like to go and get something to eat? Breakfast I suppose, since it’s only 5 am here.”  
Both Sam and Cait looked out of the same plane window, at the dark blue hue of dawn.   
Caitriona yawned and nodded her head, “Yes, I’m actually starving.”  
“I’ll bet you are!” Sam giggled. “Full English Breakfast?”  
“When in England,” Cait shrugged one shoulder and smirked up at him, gaining back the confidence to look in those bright blues.   
As an excellent director should be, Ron was very organised and had everything set up for Sam and Caitriona for their stay in London. This included a driver, waiting for them outside the airport, to take them to their hotel. As soon as Sam and Caitriona walked out of the airport, the cold hit Cait and she instinctively wrapped her arms around her body and shivered. Sam looked at her with a concerned look. They both stood and waited for the driver to arrive, which according to Ron, would be in 3 minutes.  
She noticed and said, “I actually packed warm clothes in my carry-on to change into before we landed, but I just…I didn’t expect to sleep all the way through.”  
“I’ll make sure the driver has the heater on full-ball,” Sam reassured her kindly.  
Caitriona nodded to him through her shivering.  
Sam happened to now be wearing a jacket and a coat in preparation for the cold. He dropped his shoulder bag to the ground, slipped off his coat and hung it over both her and her cross-shoulder carry-on.  
“Oh, you didn’t have to do that. The driver will be here any second,” Caitriona responded with a concerned but thankful smile.  
“It’s alright, I had three layers on, that’s hardly fair,” Sam teased, smiling cheekily.  
Caitriona briefly looked down, then met his eyes and smiled genuinely. She slipped her arms into the big coat, feeling instantly warm.  
“Well thank you…again,” Caitriona giggled.  
Sam winked at her, before quickly looking straight ahead, spotting the car.  
The driver put all of the luggage in the boot and Sam hastened to open the door for Caitriona.  
She smirked at him, “you really are quite the gentleman, Sam.”  
“Chivalry is NOT dead!” Sam teased and giggled.  
Caitriona laughed and ducked her head, sliding into her seat. Sam quickly walked to the other side of the car and slid in, creating a slight puff of air that made his scent, again, dive up Cait’s nostrils. She looked away, out the window for a few moments. She was now experiencing a double whammy, as his coat that she was still wearing smelt strongly of him. She slightly squirmed in her seat.  
“You’ve been to London before, haven’t you?” Sam asked.  
“Yes, a few years ago now though,” Cait nodded.  
“Is there anything, in particular, you would like to do while we’re here?” Sam asked.  
“I’d love to walk through Hyde Park. I’ve never had the chance to before,” Cait responded, peering out the window.   
Sam nodded, “sounds good. I’ve never been either.”  
Cait looked at him and smiled, before peering back out of the window.  
They reached their hotel 15 minutes later, checked in and were led up to their hotel rooms, by men carrying their luggage. Their hotel rooms were directly next door to each other.  
Before walking in, Sam turned towards Cait and said: “uh…so we’ll get settled and then I’ll meet you out here in…”  
“20 minutes?” Cait suggested.  
“Okay, see you soon,” Sam giggled softly and walked into his room, where his luggage was already brought in. He closed the door softly behind him.  
He walked over to the big window near the bed, stood there and admired the lights of London at dawn. Then he went into the bathroom, stared at his own reflection for 20 seconds, then splashed water on his face. He hung the top half of his body over the sink, breathing deeply.   
‘Fuck. Yes, she is insanely attractive…and funny…and smart…and talented! Yes, it’s going to be difficult to sleep knowing she is on the other side of the wall…but…nothing can ever happen, not even if I wanted it to. Not even if she wanted it to…Ron wouldn’t allow it, nor anyone else related to making this show. It’s a very risky thing to do in a very complicated situation. We’ve both read the first book…we are both aware of what we are going to have to do. That’s going to make things even harder, not having feelings intensify. It’s human nature, isn’t it? If something did happen between us and things go south…that would be bad…awkward especially. The show would be affected, we could both potentially lose our jobs, and perhaps have our career ruined. It’s far too big a risk, for both of us…OH WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU ON ABOUT! STOP BEING A FUCKING IDIOT. You’re just assuming she likes you in that sense. Again, you’re just assuming she’s not involved with someone!’  
Sam grunted a little too loudly, with his eyes squeezed shut, his eyebrows knitted almost together, and his fists in his not-yet-permed red hair. After a minute, he composed himself with a deep breath. He stood up straight and looked at his reflection again, with a look of disappointment and shame.  
‘You’re going to get to know this woman because you are going to work closely together for what could be years if all goes well. You may even become good friends. You’re going to have to be physically and intimately close to this woman, but actors are in that position with co-stars all the time. That’s what we are going to be, co-stars. That’s it. Nothing more, no matter what feelings present themselves… You’ve known the woman for not even a full day put together! All you know about her is that she’s beautiful, a little clumsy, and some of her life story that she’s felt comfortable enough to share. She could be a total bitch, or a control freak, or a pain in the ass, you don’t know…fuck I hope not. It really doesn’t seem like she’s any of those things…you’ll find out sooner or later…keep your fucking head on straight and treat this like you’ve treated all your other roles; like a professional.’  
With that, Sam harshly flicked off the light, stomped over to the massive bed and flopped down on his back for a quick power nap.   
Cait, having changed into attire much more appropriate for a London morning, was leaning against her door, waiting. She still had Sam’s big coat and decided to put it back on. After all, she was going to need it, for what she was about to do.   
‘Fucking idiot. Why didn’t you give it back? He’s too polite to have asked for it back. Fuck. Oh well…while I have it, might as well take advantage.’  
Cait opened one side of the coat and deeply breathed in the intoxicating smell and made a noise that is commonly referred to as the Universal Fuck Noise, and struggled to keep her legs from giving out. A noise she made a little too loudly and immediately slapped her hand over her mouth, knowing full well he was on the other side of that wall. The smell was like a sweet, but woody cologne. A smell she couldn’t get enough of. It was there when they first met at the chemistry test and it was there now. His smell. She pulled herself together and quietly opened her door back up and poked her head out, looking around like a meerkat. She stepped out, quietly closed the door behind her and snuck past his door. When she was far enough away, she ran to the lift and pressed the down arrow too many times. She stood there waiting, slightly bobbing up and down and looked down the hallway to his door every 3 seconds. As soon as she heard the ding, she practically jumped into the lift and pressed the button to close the door far too many times. On the drive over to the hotel, Cait noticed a few cafes open already. One, in particular, very close to their hotel, which gave her an idea. She was going to get herself and Sam a coffee, to repay the favour, but also as a thank you for stopping her from spilling coffee all over herself, carrying her bag, stopping her from smashing her face on the plane floor, standing up for her, saving her sunglasses, giving her his jacket, and just being a sweet human and perfect gentleman; not to mention putting her at ease from day one.  
She lightly jogged down to the café, hair bouncing and blowing into her face every so often, but hardly feeling the cold. The combination of the warm, massive coat, and the heat in her belly from the thrill of what she was about to do, made her immune to the cold.  
‘Thank God for this coat!’   
When she got to the café, she noticed a line up of about 10 people.  
‘Oh FUCK!’  
She froze in her path with a defeated look on her face. She looked back towards the hotel, then further down the street past this café, not knowing what to do.  
‘Fuck! In less than 15 minutes he’s going to be outside my room waiting! I just wanted to do something nice. Ugh! I could go to another café…but that’s further away and their line may be just as long! Hmm…alright! I’ll text him to say I need a little more time. Yes! That will work.’  
Cait whipped her phone out and walked closer to get in the line. She briefly looked up to see where she was going, then she saw him. She saw SAM in the coffee line. Second in the line, looking down at his phone. She gasped and went into panic mode. Not thinking too clearly, she pounced behind a nearby red phone booth and hid.  
‘What…WHAT! Damnit…trust him to be sweet and do this. He’s very quick. VERY quick…and sweet. Very very sweet…stop it, Cait. It’s a coffee, not a love letter.’ Cait breathed in deeply and sighed. ‘What now…do I sprint back to the hotel and play dumb, so he doesn’t know he was busted? Or do I bust him and admit I had the same idea…busting each other…oh fuck he’s ordering now! Alright, here we go...’


	4. Chapter 4

Cait took a deep breath, ran her fingers through her hair, and slowly walked towards him. At this moment, Sam slipped his phone into his back pocket, picked up the two coffees, turned around and froze. Cait was standing 3 feet away, arms crossed across her chest, headed titled and a smirk on her lips. Sam’s eyes were wide with surprise and confusion for a minute, then a smile of embarrassment graced his lips. He looked down at his feet and awkwardly shuffled.  
“Well…I guess I’m busted,” Sam said shyly, not able to look at her eyes.  
Cait giggled, “Yes you are! You beat me to it, too!”  
Sam looked up then and tilted his head in question. “You planned on doing this too?”  
“Yes, actually. You’re too quick, I suppose,” Cait teased.  
“Oh, I’m sorry. I…” Sam bit his lip.  
“Don’t be,” Cait took a step closer to him. “I was just going to get you one to repay the favour, and also as a thank you for…lots of things.”  
Sam smiled crookedly. “You’re welcome…coffee?” Sam held hers out to her.  
Cait grinned and took it, carefully taking a sip.  
“Let’s see if I can get through this one without spilling it,” Cait smirked.  
This made Sam laugh, and he put his hand lightly on her back to direct her to walk back the other way.  
“That’s two coffees I owe you, now,” Cait teased, taking another sip and peering over to him.   
“You don’t owe me anything, Caitriona Balfe,” Sam replied with a small smile.  
“Sam Heughan,” Cait said with a smirk.  
Sam looked at her then with a bright smile.   
Cait looked back at him and giggled, “I just find it amusing that you say my full name.”  
“It’s a nice name, I like saying it,” Sam smirked, taking a sip of his coffee.  
Cait smiled to herself, shaking her head slightly with closed eyes and looked across the road, spotting a nice, white restaurant, open. “Do you want to go over there?”  
“Yeah that looks good,” Sam nodded, then placed his hand on Cait’s back again, as they prepared to cross the road.   
The feeling of his hand on her back, even through the massive coat, was like electricity. It made the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stand. She tried not to squirm or quiver at his touch.  
They found a booth inside the cosy restaurant and sat down.  
“Let me know what you would like, and I’ll go order,” Sam invited, as he examined his menu.  
Cait slightly lowered her menu so she could look at him.  
“You’re not buying me breakfast, Sam. You’ve done enough,” Cait asserted.   
She wasn’t agitated, but her words were assertive enough that Sam knew he shouldn’t insist on this one.   
“Since you didn’t allow me to buy you a coffee, I think I’ll be the one to order,” Cait asserted, raising her eyebrows and placing her menu down.  
“No no. Two coffees and two meals…there’s a big difference there, I…” Sam insisted.  
“Sam, you haven’t just bought me two coffees. You’ve done a lot more in the very short amount of time I’ve known you, and I’m thankful for it,” Cait interjected with a soft voice.   
“But you don’t owe me anything,” Sam shook his head and shrugged.  
“I know. Consider this a thank you. Are you going to tell me what you’re having?” Cait probed, with raised eyebrows.  
Sam hung his head, looking at his menu, knowing he had been defeated. With a soft smile, he murmured, “the poached eggs, bacon, avocado and mushroom on sourdough, please.”  
Cait nodded once, gave a cheeky smirk, slid out of the booth and walked over to the counter.  
Sam watched her leave, resting his chin on one of his hands, two of his fingers resting on his cheek, and sighed.  
‘She knows what she wants…very insistent…won’t back down. I think that’s sexy…ugh!’  
Sam clenched his teeth and rubbed his forehead, closing his eyes briefly.   
As he saw Cait approach the booth with a table number, it snapped him out of his frustrations and he quickly put his arms underneath the table and acknowledged her with a crooked, slightly awkward grin. Cait reciprocated as she slid back into the booth. She nervously played with her fingers while absently looking at the salt and peppers shakers, then looked at her hand, then the sleeve of a certain someone’s jacket she was STILL wearing.  
“Oh!” Cait suddenly exclaimed, and made a silly raspberry noise with her mouth, out of embarrassment.  
Sam’s eyebrow twitched upward in question, and he cocked his head to one side.  
Cait shrugged out of Sam’s big coat that she pretty much was starting to take ownership of. Once her arms were free, Cait displayed herself in a tight, black knitted jumper, with quite a deep V-neck cut. The jumper revealed a good amount of Cait’s cleavage and prominent collarbones. Sam’s eyes widened uncontrollably, then he quickly looked away, clearing his throat too harshly that it made him cough.  
‘OH, COME ON! FUCK! Alright, don’t look. Stop coughing. Keep your eyes on her eyes…I’m going to see this woman naked at some point…fuck, I’m going to make a complete dick of myself! Alright, stop. You’re going to have to get used to this. Keep it together…why does she have to be so attractive! That body! I haven’t even seen the rest yet and I’m about ready to explode! Fuck! What is wrong with me! This has never happened before…I’ve seen naked women plenty of times…so why am I so fucking nervous…alright, shut up. KEEP.YOUR.HEAD.ON.STRAIGHT. PROFESSIONALISM. FOR FUCK’S SAKE.’  
“Are…are you alright, Sam?” Cait asked with concern in her tone, as she filled up a glass with water and pushed it towards him.  
Sam covered his mouth and cleared his throat a few more times. He squeezed his eyes shut and nodded, grabbing the glass and gulping down the cold water. Sam breathed heavily afterwards and giggled nervously.  
“Sorry, I think I uh…inhaled some saliva into my windpipe, that’s all…” Sam bit his top lip and fiddled with the small, empty glass, not meeting her glance.   
Cait exhaled through her nose and smiled. Then she stood up slightly so she could grab the coat from underneath her. She folded it in half and carefully handed it back to him over the table.  
“Sorry, I forgot I was still wearing it. You didn’t ask for it back!” Cait teased and giggled softly.  
“Oh, that’s alright, you needed it more than I did. Are you sure you don’t want to keep it on? That uh…it may not be uh…warm enough,” Sam struggled, slightly blushing, with every effort to not look anywhere but her eyes.  
“It’s supposed to be a warm day today, I should be fine…” Cait shrugged, crossing her left arm over her chest, holding onto her right arm.  
This created more cleavage, and Sam’s eyes flickered down and back up within half a second. He started clearing his throat again, harshly grabbed the glass bottle of water and poured himself another glass.  
Cait eyed him suspiciously. ‘He’s acting rather strange…twitchy and…nervous? Can’t sit still and he looks a bit flushed…and coughing…he must have allergies or something. It is England’s Spring, after all…’  
Sam still wouldn’t meet her gaze, as he purposely examined everything in the restaurant he could.  
“Sam?” Cait asked, with her elbows now resting on the table.  
Dreading that he would now have to look at her, both hands clenched; one into a fist on his lap, and one holding the glass tightly.  
“Hmm?” Sam responded, finally looking at her, determined to focus on every feature of her face and nowhere else.   
“Tell me about your family? You didn’t really mention them, at the airport,” Cait requested, now resting both hands underneath her chin.  
‘Thank God, a distraction!’ Sam thought to himself and cleared his throat once more.  
He gave Cait a genuine smile and began to tell her all about his family. Five minutes into the conversation, their breakfast arrived. Sam continued to tell Cait about his Scottish ancestors as best he could, but the way Cait licked her lips while eating was getting very distracting. He turned his attention to his food and continued to speak. Meanwhile, Cait begun to squirm a little and become flustered.   
‘The way he…uses his teeth to take his food off the fork…why is that making me feel…slightly hot…he does have nice teeth…and the way those blue eyes are twinkling with him being so happy talking about his Scottish heritage…NO, STOP IT! FOCUS.’  
Cait took a quiet but deep breath and composed herself, making sure she didn’t watch as Sam took each bite off his fork. Instead, she conveniently took a sip of her coffee each time he put his fork to his mouth. Luckily, he didn’t notice.   
“Now, your turn, Caitriona Balfe. Tell me about your family,” Sam smirked, pushing his plate away from him, sitting back and crossing his arms over his chest.  
This brought Cait out of her daydream and she reciprocated the smirk, a little too flirtatiously. They sat together for a couple of hours more, chatting back and forth about each other’s families, not keeping track of time; feeling like time had flown past. By this point, it was 8:30 am and bright and sunny outside. Their hair-destroying appointment was at 12 pm, which meant they had quite a bit of time to kill.   
“Thank you for breakfast,” Sam teased with a wink, as they walked out of the restaurant.   
This made Cait giggle softly, “no worries, Sam Heughan.”  
Sam smiled brightly at hearing her say his full name. ‘God it sounds good when she says my name…in that Irish accent…fuck!’  
“So, uh…we have loads of time before our appointment…did you want to go for that walk in Hyde Park now?” Sam asked, nervously.  
Cait’s eyes lit up at the idea, and she beamed up at him, “yeah, let’s do that.”  
Her obvious excitement made Sam smile sweetly at her.  
‘That smile!’ Sam struggled.  
“Alright, I’m going to run up to my room and drop this coat. Are you sure you don’t want to wear it? It might get cold later,” Sam insisted.   
Cait laughed softly and shook her head, “no, I’m sure I’ll be fine. Thank you, Sam.”  
‘If that smell of yours stays on me another second, I’m certain my legs will give out!’ She thought to herself, biting her lip and looking at the ground.  
“If you’re sure,” Sam nodded and, yet again, placed his hand gently on Cait’s back, as they crossed the road.   
Cait still felt the electricity and tingle of his touch, but it was more than that now. He kept doing it, as if it was a habit; something he did without thinking. She looked down and smiled to herself.  
‘It’s like he’s protective of me or something…or…I hope it’s not because I have a tendency to be clumsy and either knock or get knocked into strangers…stop overthinking everything! He’s a gentleman, that’s why he’s doing it!’  
Sam left his hand on her back until they reached the entrance of their hotel. He gently patted her back once and said, “Did you want to wait here or?”  
“Yeah, you go, I’ll wait. We can walk to the park from here, it’s not far,” Cait suggested.  
“Alright, I’ll be right back,” Sam replied, as he jumped up the three stairs to the entrance, at once.  
Cait watched him as he quickly walked inside until she could no longer see him through the sea of people. While she could see him, her eyes rebelliously glanced down at his very sculpted, tight arse and her heartbeat sped up. Cait bit her lip, then shut her eyes and turned around to face the road. She let out the breath she felt like she’d been holding and opened her eyes back up.   
Sam entered the lift and pressed the button. He peered down at his coat that was slung over his arm and saw a long dark hair hanging off the collar. He carefully pulled the long hair off the collar and rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger. A small smile touched his lips. He then brought the coat up to his face and inhaled. Sure enough, her scent was strong and sweet on the collar of his coat. It smelt exactly like her hair, which he was able to smell on the staircase of the plane. A sweet smell of vanilla and coconut. His ears started to feel hot and his heart started to pick up the pace. He stepped out of the lift, shook his head and attempted to get it together. He hung the coat over the chair and quickly made his way back downstairs.  
Cait looked up towards the sun that was now streaming down, kissing her skin. She closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth and the slight glow behind her eyelids. A gust of wind suddenly picked up, disturbing Cait’s comfort and blowing her hair sharply, so it wrapped around her face. She dug around in her bag for a hair elastic. When she finally found one, she held it in her mouth, while she used both hands to form a ponytail, then twisted the elastic around her hair. She then put her sunglasses on and looked towards the entrance of the hotel. Sam stepped out at that moment, giving Cait a crooked smile. Cait reciprocated with a small grin.  
Sam looked both ways down the street. “This way?” Sam asked, pointing to the left.  
“This way,” Cait responded, tilting her head to the right.   
“Ah,” Sam nodded. “It’s a nice day for it,” Sam commented, peering up at the bright blue, clear sky.  
“Yeah, it’s lovely,” Cait replied, also looking up.  
‘VERY lovely’, Sam thought, sneakily peering down at her.  
Cait noticed and looked back at him, and Sam quickly looked away.   
‘Shit…do I have something on my face…!’ Cait panicked.   
Cait lightly touched the side of her face and nose and looked at her hand briefly.  
‘Hmm…’ she thought, suspiciously.  
The two walked in silence, both admiring the sights they were passing. Every once in a while, one would comment on something and they would share a laugh or have a short conversation. Before long, they reached the entrance of the park, and Cait exhaled with a bright smile. Sam looked down at her, admiring her reaction.   
“Let’s go, Caitriona Balfe,” Sam grinned, and lightly touched her back.  
They slowly walked on a cream-coloured light gravel path that was framed, on both sides, with the most amazing bright colours of green, orange, pink and blue. Trees of all different types and sizes, surrounded by flowerbeds, and the fresh smell of pure nature. Cait looked in every direction in wonder and bliss, taking photos of everything that made her say “wow”.  
Sam watched her and couldn’t help but smile. ‘She’s so happy. She must be an outdoorsy person too…she’s adorable. She has a great smile.’  
Cait peered back at him, with a cheesy grin on her face. “Sorry, it’s so hard to get lost in this place! So beautiful! Far more beautiful than I imagined!”   
Sam giggled, “No, you enjoy. It’s very peaceful too.”  
Cait nodded, not being able to wipe the smile off her face and continued looking in every direction.  
They came to thick hedge that formed a wide tunnel. It stood slightly taller than Sam.  
“Ooh,” Cait said with a curious excitement.  
She ran her hand over the side of the hedge tunnel before entering. Sam followed behind and picked up the pace so he could walk beside her. Cait slowed her pace, revelling in the darkness that the hedge provided. Sam took full advantage of the darkness and looked at Cait as much as he could. The way she liked to run her fingers over the leaves, the way she kept sliding her sunglasses on top of her head as they slipped back down her forehead, the way she bit her lip and smiled at the same time. Sam felt like he was slowly being hypnotised by the complete beauty of her happiness and had the sudden urge to reach out and touch her. It didn’t matter if it was her shoulder, back, or the top of her head, he just wanted to feel her at the tip of his fingers. As difficult as it was, he fought against these urges. He would never let himself do such an inappropriate thing. He respected her, and he was going to prove that to her; prove that she could trust him.  
The tunnel eventually ended and opened onto wide lawns that looked like they went on forever; tall trees in the background. That was on the left side of the gravel path. What the right side held made Cait gasp with absolute delight. The gravel path led down a small hill to a shiny, black gate that housed a sparkling lake, that curved around, as the path was followed. Cait quickly walked to the gate and gazed down at the deep blue, quivering water. She could see fish twirling around below her. A cool, light breeze tussled her hair to one side, and she let her head fall in the direction the breeze pushed. Sam caught her scent coming off her, from the breeze and had to breathe a little deeper before standing beside her. Sam shyly glanced at her, and she looked back at Sam and smiled with contentment, before continuing to follow the path. Sam walked beside her, in a comfortable silence. He knew there wasn’t any need for conversation right now. She was happy with quietly admiring her surroundings. He was going to leave the next conversation up to her.  
The path led to a wooden bridge that arched up and over the lake. Cait put her sunglasses back on, as she caught the full glare of the sun bouncing off the lake, the higher she climbed the bridge. Once they had reached the top of the bridge, Cait stopped and rested her elbows on the railing, staring out into the distance, in pure satisfaction.  
“This place makes me happy,” Cait uttered, not taking her eyes off the water.  
Sam smiled, “it’s been a good day, so far. So…uh… I’ve heard you run a charity for children?” Sam inquired, wanting to learn more about her.  
“Yes! World Child Cancer. I raise money and awareness for cancer treatment and research, especially for children in developing countries,” Cait explained, enthusiastically.  
“Wow, that’s amazing. So, you travel to these countries?” Sam asked with curiosity.  
Sam and Cait spent the next half an hour discussing their philanthropy on top of that bridge; Sam’s charity for testicular cancer, and Peakers program, and more about Cait’s World Child Cancer charity.  
The mention of Scotland, by Sam, made it more real for Cait that in just two days they would both be in Scotland, beginning this journey together, undertaking all of its overwhelming elements that Cait was not used to; not having had an acting job of this degree, both role and length.   
Sam noticed the drop in Cait’s expression, and retraced what he had just said, in his mind, making sure he didn’t say the wrong thing.  
Cait suddenly turned towards him. “Sam…this journey for us starts so soon…you and I have both read the book and have seen what’s in the script…there’s going to be some…difficult material to work with. I think more so for me because I’m not as experienced with acting, and now I’ve got a lead part in a series. I’m just starting to feel overwhelmed and…I think you’re really the only one who’s going to know what that feels like. We will be doing almost every difficult scene together. We hardly know each other, but…there’s going to need to be trust between us. We’re going to need to…have each other’s backs throughout this,” Cait expressed nervously, repeatedly looking away.  
Sam listened to her very carefully, keeping steady eye contact. “I 100% agree with you. I think what we are going to go through will be physically and emotionally draining, in some parts. We just have to make sure we have good communication during, and make things work between us in a way where we’ll both feel comfortable. It’s true, we hardly know each other, and we are going to have to act out some pretty intimate, intimidating material, but I just want you to know that I will not disrespect you in any way. While we’re doing a scene, if you say “stop”, then that’s exactly what I’ll do. Any time you feel uncomfortable with anything, you can tell me. If you’d prefer something else, just let me know. You know…the director may tell me to do something, but I’m always going to ask your permission before I do it. I’ll do whatever I can to form that trust between us, because, you’re right, that’s going to be the most important aspect of our working relationship. I’ll have your back, whenever you need me too,” Sam responded with seriousness.  
This was the first time Cait had seen Sam’s serious side, and his words made her feel so at ease. She could tell that he meant them, just by the look in his eyes. Her gut instinct was to trust what he had to say.  
Cait exhaled slowly, and her face lit up, feeling the weight of that looming conversation being taken off her shoulders, finally.   
‘Wow…he’s so respectful! Really professional. So kind and…calming…I’m actually starting to feel…excited about this journey!’ Cait thought to herself, as she looked up at his kind face.  
“I really appreciate that, Sam. That’s made me feel a lot less anxious about it. Thank you,” Cait looked down at the water and smiled, shyly.   
The serious look in Sam’s face melted away and he gave Cait a smile that reached his eyes.  
“I’m glad I was able to put you at ease, a bit. I promise, no more bear hugs! Unless you tell me too…” Sam giggled.   
Cait giggled back and put her hand out for a handshake, “deal.”  
Sam looked at her hand and swallowed hard. He gently took her hand in his and held it. It was exactly like when they had first laid eyes on each other at the chemistry test and shook hands the first time; the first time they had touched. That tingling sort of electricity, when warm met cold, skin to skin. The sort of electricity that makes tiny hairs stand up, and goose bumps to form instantaneously. That was happening all over again. Sam gently shook her hand, not breaking his gaze from her sparkling blue-grey eyes. “Deal,” he responded quietly, a smile tugging at one side of his mouth.   
Cait suddenly breathed in, sharply, through her nostrils, gently let ago, looked down, cleared her throat and licked her lips, sucking them into her mouth.   
“I’m happy we’ve been able to spend this time together to get to know each other, before it all begins,” Sam smiled sweetly.  
“Yes, I feel like it’s going to make things easier,” Cait agreed.  
“Would you uh…like to take a photo? Since we have such a nice backdrop? Plus, it would be nice to have a memory we can look back on, pre-perm,” Sam teased, fidgeting nervously.  
Cait giggled softly, “yeah, a photo for when it all started.”  
Sam smiled, relieved, and took out his phone. He moved back, away from the railing, so he was standing next to Cait, the way she was already facing when she turned towards him. He moved in close, holding his phone up with his right hand, but respectfully keeping his left arm by his side. Then he felt Cait move even closer, so her face was just resting on his, and softly rest her right hand in the middle of Sam’s back.   
‘Okay, wasn’t expecting that, but this is good!’ He smirked to himself.  
His heart skipped with excitement, and he got up the courage to move his left arm up and around her, so he was holding the back of her shoulder gently.   
‘Okay, so he’s comfortable with this. He’s so gentle. I love that he didn’t initially put his arm around me. He waited for the encouragement from me. That’s…kind of adorable…oh no…’  
They both made a cheesy smile and Sam took the photo, and they looked at it afterwards.  
“Aw, send me that?” Cait asked, smiling shyly.  
Sam laughed, “of course, Caitriona Balfe.”  
The two continued to stroll through the park for another hour, switching the conversation to their characters and what each other thought about the different situations in the book, and how they would go about acting it out.   
They eventually reached the other end of the park and found the exit. They continued their conversation on the short walk back to the hotel and noticed the driver waiting outside.   
“I’m just going to the toilet okay, I’ll be right back,” Sam said quickly, brushing her back before he pounced up the stairs.   
Cait didn’t have time to respond. So, she opened the door and greeted the driver. She slid into her seat, crossed her legs and browsed on her phone.   
Sam was back within five minutes. He opened the door, nearest the hotel, not knowing Cait was in that seat; due to the car having tinted windows. When he opened the door, the first thing he saw was her long legs crossed, in skin-tight jeans and ankle boots. It both startled and aroused him all in one hit. He’d seen her in that for hours, but that position hit differently. She peered up at him, and he attempted to speak. His voice came out croaky, so he sharply cleared it.  
“S–Sorry, wrong side,” he smiled awkwardly, shut the door and ran around to the other side, breathing heavily and feeling himself starting to sweat a little. He slid into his seat and the car smelt of her. That sweet smell he had smelt just two minutes beforehand. He swallowed hard and did everything he could to not look at her legs. He focused on his seatbelt.  
“…ready for new hair?” Sam found the courage to ask.  
Cait breathed in and exhaled, puffing out her cheeks, and shook her head.  
“I’m a little scared, I can’t imagine what I’ll look like with tight curls,” Cait smirked with wide eyes.  
Sam exhaled out of his nose and nodded. “Don’t worry, you’ll look just fine. Me on the other hand…” he rubbed his forehead with his thumb and forefinger, then rubbed his eyes.   
Cait laughed at his reaction.   
‘That adorable laugh’, Sam thought to himself as he smiled at her.  
“Nah…has to be done. The things we do for our job…” Sam pursed his lips and shrugged.   
Caitriona nodded, “yep.”  
Sam’s scent was wafting stronger and stronger throughout the car, and it made Cait fidget in her seat. She swallowed hard and took a deep breath, not daring to look at him. She uncrossed her legs, just to switch. Cait had her legs slightly spread apart for a minute, to stretch them, before crossing the other leg over. It was something that did NOT go unnoticed by Sam. He noticed out of the corner of his eye and quickly glanced over to her, then looked away. He too squirmed in his seat and stared out the window, starting to bite at his nails.   
“Are you hot?” Sam asked suddenly, which took Cait by surprise and she took the question the complete wrong way.  
“What? No!” Cait blurted out in a huff.  
Sam was a little shocked and didn’t know what to do or say. He just looked at her with a confused expression, furrowing his eyebrows slightly.  
“Oh! Sorry, you meant…umm…yes I am feeling a bit umm…hot…I mean…it’s…it’s hot in here,” Cait stuttered, completely mortified. She cleared her throat and stared back out the window, half covering her face with her hand, squeezing her eyes shut.  
‘You are a complete fucking idiot, Caitriona. A COMPLETE fucking idiot.’  
A smirk twitched at Sam’s lips. “Hey buddy! Can we have the air conditioner on, please?”  
“Yes, sir,” the driver replied politely, and turned on the air conditioner.  
The cool blast of air was a relief to both Sam and Cait. Sam looked over at Cait, as she was still staring out the window.  
‘I wonder what that was all about…she seemed to have gotten…offended...by the question I asked…did she take it the wrong way…why would I mean it in any other way…huh…quite mysterious…nothing wrong with a little mystery.’  
The car arrived at the salon and Cait quickly opened the door and practically bolted to the entrance. Sam quickly followed her, still confused.  
Caitriona got to the desk, tucked her hair behind her ear and forced a smile for the lady waiting.   
“Hello. We both have an appointment to get perms. It was booked by Ron Moore, for Sam and Caitriona,” Cait explained.  
Sam stood quietly next to her. Cait still couldn’t look at him, not even peripherally. She was still mortified.  
‘He knows exactly how you feel now. Idiot!’ Cait thought, wanting to kick her own arse.  
“Ah…yes! Here you are. Come this way,” the stylist said, directing them over to two chairs, one on one side of the salon, and the other on the other side.   
Cait let out a sigh of relief and sat down on one of the chairs. Sam did the same, still confused. He scratched his temple and tried to look at her through his mirror. Cait had her head down, looking at her phone. Just then, her phone vibrated. A text from Sam appeared in the notification box on the top of her phone screen. She hesitantly pressed it.

\- Is everything okay?

\- Yes…why?

\- Oh, you’ve just gone quiet, that’s all. I was afraid I said something to upset you…

Cait read that message over and over, and wiggled her thumbs, not knowing how to reply.   
‘Hmm…maybe he didn’t pick up on anything after all…men can be clueless…luckily.’  
Cait breathed a sigh of relief and thought of what to reply with.

\- You haven’t done anything wrong, Sam. I’m sorry. Everything is okay! :) 

\- Okay, good :D Would you like to grab some lunch after this? That is, if we’re not too embarrassed to go outside! :P 

Cait quietly laughed at this, with a beaming smile. She swung around in her chair to look at him. Sam saw her in the mirror and did the same. Cait bit her bottom lip while smiling, shyly and nodded her head. Sam reciprocated with a sweet smile, then the two stylists came over with all of their equipment, ready to start.   
Sam’s hair was finished after one hour. He came over, pulled up a chair and sat next to Cait.  
“All I can say is…oh god,” Sam complained, with a pained look on his face.  
Caitriona looked at him and burst into giggles. Sam smirked. Cait reached out and touched a soft lock of his now curly hair. She gently pulled on it and watched as it sprung back. She continued to laugh softly, and Sam playfully rolled his eyes.  
“I’m sorry, it’s not that bad. The curls are looser than I thought they would be. Once you’re in costume and everything, it’ll look so much better,” Cait gave Sam an apologetic smile.  
“Mm…am I able to pull it back?” Sam asked the stylist who did his hair, with pleading eyes.  
“Unfortunately, not. Please try not to wet it or tie it up for at least 48 hours. Let the perm sit and settle. Then you’re able to wash it and tie it up, if you wish,” the stylist explained.   
Sam pursed his lips, sighed and nodded. “You’re the boss,” he stated to the stylist, who grinned at him and whipped around, walking over to Cait’s stylist.   
By 2:30 pm, Cait’s perm was finally finished. The stylist tamed the super tight curls, making them softer and looser, so Cait could see the difference.   
“See, you look nice!” Sam smiled at Cait, in the mirror.  
‘Beautiful. She looks beautiful.’  
“You do, I think it suits you!” the stylist grinned, as she ran her fingers through Cait’s shoulder-length curls.   
“Thank you, you did a good job. I still think I don’t suit curls though,” Cait gave an embarrassed smile and shrugged, turning her head side to side, looking at her hair.  
“You look great, doesn’t she?!” the stylist exclaimed, looking at Sam in the mirror.  
“You really do,” Sam smiled cheekily at Cait through the mirror.  
Cait looked down, embarrassed, as she started to blush. ‘Fuck.’ She thought to herself.   
Back in the car, and all through lunch at a different little restaurant, there was a whole different vibe between them. They saw each other as their characters, for the first time, and it was hitting them; the journey that they were able to jump into, together. It was becoming real, and all they could do was imagine acting out particular scenes together, now that they could both put a face to a name; Claire and Jamie.


End file.
